Comment: Items are from new to used in good condition. Postage to UK is same as with a UK seller. Shipping time is app. 5-7 businessdays. You buy:Alphaville - First harvest 1984-92 (compilation) - CD - Shipped within 24 hours.

Includes FREEMP3 version of this album.
AutoRip is available only for eligible CDs and vinyl sold by Amazon EU Sarl (but does not apply to gift orders or PrimeNow orders). See Terms and Conditions for full details, including costs which may apply for the MP3 version in case of order returns or cancellations.

Sold by Amazon Media EU S.à r.l..
By placing your order, you agree to our Terms of Use.

Product description

1992 release, on WEA International, featuring 15 of the '80s new wave/techno/pop outfit's very best, including the hit 'Big In Japan' (original & 'Culture Mix'), plus 'Forever Young', 'Sounds Like A Melody', 'Jerusalem', & 'Dance With Me', to name a few.

Someone wrote here that Alphaville is a very uneven band. I don't agree with him. If you think Alphaville should always write songs like "Big In Japan" or "Forever Young" I'll guess that you could be disappointed with this band but Alphaville is so much more than that.

The band does not only write pop songs. They also venture in many styles of music (like rock, jazz, techno, eurodance, minimal) and that's what makes them great to me. And I think that in this best of they wanted to show all the different kinds of music they were able to do in their first 9 years but this release is really more of a great best of rather than a complete singles collection of this band.

I'm a very big fan of Alphaville and even though their first 2 albums "Forever Young" and "Afternoons In Utopia" will always be my favourites of their Discography because I'm very much in love with 80's pop music but I still appreciated their music when they tried different styles which I was less familiar with.

Besides, one must take under consideration that by this point in time (back in 1992), Alphaville only had 12 original singles released (if you don't count the many re-releases of both "Big In Japan" and "Forever Young" (re-released in 1988 and 1992) and they made radical choices of songs here, it's true.

For instance, they chose not to add here the single "Universal Daddy" released in 1986 because as the singer said in many interviews he's very embarassed by its lyrics (and I think it's a pity because I personnally love that track very much). But instead he chose to include here tracks like the very long and beautiful "For A Million" (that lasts for more than 6 minutes) or "Lassie Come Home" with were never released as singles probably because they like these tracks better.

Also some tracks here have been remixed in 1992 especially for this compilation like "Sounds Like A Melody" or "Jet Set" and I think it's a pity because even though "Sounds" '92 remix is great, the original singles remixes of these songs are nowhere to be found on CD even today (in 2017).

I'm glad they included the magnificient "A Victory Of Love" even though it was not a single either because it displays Marian Gold's unique vocal range and abilities as a singer like no other song of the band can I think but like for the hit "Dance With Me" the '92 remix included here is less impressive than their original album versions counterpart (emphasis were put on the drums on these remixes rather than on the beautiful sounds and melodies). And even "Dance With Me"s BPM has been increased a little in this version.

So to me this will always be a great introduction to Alphaville for every one who is curious about the band and who wants to know the kind of music they are capable of producing but personally I would have made this best of a little bit differently myself (always including the original single versions when they exist rather than attempting to remix what is already perfection : this is the reason why I took one star off my review).

But if you already like what you hear here, I would urge you to buy the original albums of Alphaville and you will be in for a real treat (great lyrics, great voice and in many different styles of music (pop, rock, jazz, techno, eurodance). You'll never know what to expect when a brand new album of Alphaville gets released and that's what makes this band so exciting.

This album is a true classic, expecially if someone were looking to recommend Alphaville to a friend - I did just that on the back of this album and he now loves it and them!#The album is full of superb musical gems - there is the classic, easily recognisable 'Big In Japan', alongside the anthemic 'Forever Young'. Another anthem is 'Jerusalem', which is the perfect vehicle for the deeply moving voice of Marian Gold. Other gems are the synth-poppy 'A Victory of Love' and 'Sounds Like A Melody', both truly wonderful songs and reminiscent of the 80s style; the dancy, catchy 'Red Rose', backed by superb strong backing vocals and the beautiful and haunting 'Lassie Come Home' and 'For A Million', which both paint strong mental images - 'Lassie...' of lost souls and 'For A Million' of a far distant landscape and dreams...This album truly has something for every musical taste, from 80s style and dance to ethereal and euphoric musings.If you want to introduce yourself to Alphaville, or you want to see if there's life after 'Big In Japan', you can't do better than to start right here.

This 1992 greatest hits collection pulls together the many major highlights from the band's first three albums "Forever Young" (1984), "Afternoons in Utopia" (1986), and "Breathtaking Blue" (1989). Considering the other good review written here, there is not much left to add except that please note some of the songs here are presented in their edited short radio versions. I have found the original album versions, with their longer instrumental intros and outros more interesting. This is particularly true about the tracks such as Big in Japan and Jerusalem. Also worth checking out is the 1988's singles collection which presents "some" of the Alphaville's original extended and '88 mixes of the best tracks up to that time. After The First Harvest, the band continued with "Prostitute" (1994), and the good comeback effort "Salvation" (1998), before releasing the live album "Stark Naked and Live " (2000). The collection of updated remixes "Forever Pop" appeared in 2001. I can't wait until The Second Harvest sees the light of day, and hopefully a collection of rarities and b-sides to follow up with it!